Lesbian couple allowed to live together in Kerala

The Kerala High Court has allowed a lesbian couple to live together, in a significant verdict that came weeks after the Supreme Court decriminalized homosexuality.

The order was issued by a division bench of the high court comprising Justice C K Abdul Rahim and Justice K P Narayana Pisharody on Monday.

The court was considering a plea filed by a 40-year-old woman from Kollam district alleging that her 24-year-old partner from Thiruvananthapuram had been illegally confined by her family.

She had submitted that her partner was under illegal detention of the parents and she had been mentally and physically tortured and even admitted to the mental hospital alleging that she was mentally ill.

The petitioner apprehended threat to the life of her partner.

The 40-year-old woman had submitted that as per the recent decision of the Supreme Court, the petitioner and the detinue are entitled to live together as life partners.

Early this month, a five-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court unanimously decriminalized part of the 158-year-old colonial law under Section 377 of the IPC, which criminalized homosexuality.